My Hero Academia: Burning Bright/Chapter 4
Push Yourself ---- Aki faced the door to the principal’s office of Itsumo. She took a deep breath, she had to tell him that she got into U.A. and that she would now be moving out and into the dorms. She didn’t know if anyone else got into the school, but she would find out now. She knocked softly on the door and a voice spoke, welcoming her into the office. “Come on in.” The principal was a small, older man who was incredibly kind. Aki stepped in with the device that announced her acceptance into U.A.. “Ah, Miss Saito! Please come in, is that your letter from U.A.?” “It is” Aki nodded and bowed respectfully. “So? Share the news!” Aki took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly. “I got accepted.” “Oh, wonderful!” He stood up and threw his arms up in celebration. “So far not a single other student has come forward with acceptance and there’s only five who haven’t spoken to me yet.” He sat back down. “Either way, congratulations Miss Saito, I know you will do great things. We will miss you here at Itsumo, but having one of our own move on to U.A. High is a huge deal for our little school. You should go get prepared and I will let your other teachers know!” “Thank you, sir.” Aki bowed once more before turning out of the room and returning to her own. She slowly began packing up her items for her soon move to U.A. She was both terrified and thrilled to start her new life in U.A. A knock on her door sounded and Aki stood up and opened the door, she was alone in her room while Sakura was out with other friends. She saw that Mrs. Shinikawa was standing her her doorway. “Oh, Aki I’m so proud of you!” Aki was surprised to be completely embraced by her teacher. “I knew you could do it, and I know you’ll do so many amazing things.” “Thank you.” Aki smiled and stepped back once she finished the hug. “I’m super excited to get started.” “You’ll do great.” Mrs. Shinikawa gripped her shoulders. “Just be yourself, Aki. Work hard and keep your head held high, you’ll become the hero you’re meant to be.” Time passed quickly and before Aki knew it, it was time to move. She shared a long and tearful goodbye with Sakura, hoping to see her again soon. As it turned out, Aki was in fact the only student from Itsumo to get into U.A. and she couldn’t help but notice Ueda glaring at her every chance he got. It’s not my fault you didn’t get in. Aki thought each time. Aki had been assigned to Class 1-A along with nineteen other students, two of which made it into the school based off recommendation. Many of them had come into the dorm rooms before school even started, she didn’t even know any of her classmates yet. She had moved her stuff into her room but now it was time for her first day of class, time to start her life as a student in U.A.’s hero course. With her fancy new student uniform, a gray blazer over a white shirt with a red tie and a dark green skirt, she also wore socks of the same color. She hurried to the main school building and down the hall to her classroom. She stood in front of the giant door, staring up in awe. “Oh my…” She said quietly before swallowing her fear and forcing open the door. Inside she saw several of the other students, one of which was the dusty haired boy who had bumped into her on her way to the exam. He was facing off with an incredibly tall girl who almost looked like she didn’t belong. She had deep purple hair that was shaved on one side and though her legs were mostly covered by her skirt and black thigh high socks, Aki could see what looked like green tattoos. Her face was decorated with piercings including her eyebrows, nose, lip and ears. “How did this school allow something like you into this school? I thought U.A. had standards.” The boy said with a sharp sneer. “And yet somehow you’re sitting here with your shit attitude.” The girl crossed her arms, as her sleeve rode up her arm slightly Aki could see the beginnings of another tattoo. “Didn’t mommy and daddy ever teach you respect?” “Didn’t your parents ever teach you that tattoos and piercings make you look trashy?” The boy countered. “The only trash I see here is you.” The girl turned away and rolled her dark green eyes before spotting Aki in the doorway. “Hey, you look like someone friendlier than this dirtbag.” She crossed the classroom to greet Aki. “You in this class too?” Aki nodded, this girl was incredibly intimidating, but the kindness in her green eyes was very soothing. “Yes, my name is Aki Saito.” “I’m Hana Matsumoto, it’s a pleasure to meet you classmate.” Hana shook her hand, it was a very solid handshake. “Hey, you got in!” A voice spoke from behind Aki and she turned on her heels as Satomi stepped in behind her, Aki was incredibly relieved to see a friendly face. “Congrats!” “You too.” Aki said happily. Satomi looked past Aki at Hana who was standing with a smile. “Cool piercings, I saw you when I was walking into the exam. You’ve got some sweet tattoos.” “Thanks.” Hana winked. “Name’s Hana Matsumoto, you are?” “Satomi Kimura.” Despite the dusty haired boy, Aki so far had met two very nice girls. “Let’s get in the class, I think you’re the last one to get here Satomi.” Hana pointed out and the three of them stepped into the classroom and Aki noticed some very interesting people. One girl caught her eye as she had brilliant purple, green and blue hair with what looked like scales on the edge of her face, she also had a curling reptilian tail behind her. Another girl looked like she came straight out of elementary school with platinum blonde hair and a big bow. How old is that girl? She also spotted the black-haired girl with the flying Quirk. “Get in your seats and be quiet.” A low, dry and bitter voice spoke from behind. Aki froze and whipped around to see a terrible sight. Someone was wrapped up in a yellow sleeping back, with blood shot, exhausted eyes peeking out from the sleeping bag. Aki jumped backwards in alarm. What the hell?! “Welcome to U.A.’s hero course. Get in your seats as time is very precious. Take it seriously or get out.” He stepped out of the sleeping bag and Aki saw who he was. He had thick, black and unmanaged hair and wore all black with the exception of the long scarf around his neck. He also had a scar underneath his left eye. “I am Shouta Aizawa, your teacher.” This is Eraser Head, one of the teachers at U.A. Aki realized. I had seen him on TV before, but I didn’t realize he would be my teacher! “Let’s get started,” Out of the sleeping bag Mr. Aizawa pulled out a blue uniform with big white U.A. letts on the top. “Put these on and meet me outside.” “Excuse me, Mr. Aizawa.” It was once again the black-haired girl who spoke up. “Are we going to miss orientation? I figured it was required.” Mr. Aizawa didn’t seem amused by her question. “If you waste time on pointless ceremonies then you’ll never make it in the big leagues. Here at U.A. we focus on making pro heroes, and only the best will cut it. If you can’t make it then you don’t belong here. Meaning, we have to get to work as soon as possible. I’ve looked over all of your Quirks and skills and I can clearly see I have a lot of work to do. So don’t question me and get dressed.” The girl silenced herself and they all followed his orders. Aki got dressed in the gym uniform and pulled her hair back before heading outside and meeting up with the rest of her classmates. “Now that you’re all finally here.” Mr. Aizawa groaned. “We can get started, you’re starting out with a Quirk Assessment Test.” “An assessment test?” A boy spoke out, he had darker skin and silver hair. “But we just got here, shouldn’t we get some sort of introduction into the course?” “This is your introduction.” Mr. Aizawa pointed out. “I need to know what I’m working with. In this class I get to do what I want, I’m not bound to normal school rules. This is the first time you’ll be able to use your Quirks on a physical exam. We’ll get to see your true potential.” “What if our Quirks don’t add to our physical ability?” A girl raised her hand, she had an absurd amount of wild dark brown hair. “Then work around them. You’ve had these Quirks your whole lives and even though they don’t add to your physical strength you’ve managed to get into U.A.” The girl seemed inspired by her words and gave an eager nod. “Kenta,” Mr. Aizawa spoke, turning to one of the students. He was a tall, muscular boy with orange hair and deep purple eyes. “You got into this class based on recommendation, and you finished with the highest score there. What was your highest distance throw in junior high?” Aki stared at her classmate, she didn’t know who the two students were but now she faced one of them. He seemed kind, with a relaxed expression and gentle eyes. “Sixty-five meters I believe.” Kenta responded. Mr. Aizawa tossed Kenta a ball. “Try it with your Quirk,” and motioned Kenta towards a circle with distance markers. “Anything goes, just stay in the circle.” Kenta nodded and gripped the ball in his left hand. He took a deep breath and Aki noticed a faint orange glow around Kenta’s left arm, he reared back and threw the ball, it erupted out of his hand like a missile, shooting into the distance nowhere to be seen. Aki and her classmates let out gasps of pure shock. What is his Quirk?! Aki wondered. “''700.9 meters''!” A robotic voice spoke from a phone that Mr. Aizawa held in his hand and showed it to the class. “You need to learn to control your Quirks, so you’ll be learning how to use them starting today. Use them any way you like, but take note of this;” He gave the entire class a deadly look that made Aki feel incredibly uneasy. “If I think any of you aren’t good enough, if you fall below my standard, then I’ll expel you without hesitation.” What? Aki’s blood turned cold. If we don’t meet his expectations...we’re expelled? Aki suddenly felt her entire body get heavy. How can I do this? “Let’s get started.” First up was a 50 meter dash with two students paired against each other. Aki didn’t go until close to last so she waited and watched her classmates, trying to learn about them and their Quirks. First up was a student by the name of Kaoru Asato, they had pale blue hair that covered their eyes and from what Aki could tell, they didn’t speak. Kaoru was up against Miku Nakano, the girl who had asked about Quirks before. I wonder what their Quirks are. Aki thought and waited for them to begin. As the dash started, Miku broke into an incredibly fast sprint down the track but Kaoru didn’t move. “Do-do they know that it’s started?” A student whispered. But Aki noticed something, the earth was moving underneath Kaoru’s shoes and hands. In a split second Kaoru shot forward and lighting fast speed, quickly over taking Miku. “''5.7 seconds!” Kaoru landed gracefully and looked over at Miku who finished shortly after. “Man,” Miku panted, “What a Quirk!” Kaoru just smiled and the two of them let the others take place. Next up was the black-haired girl who Aki learned was named Miyako Ito and a silver-haired girl named Kimiko Oshiro. Depending on what Kimiko’s Quirk was, Aki had a feeling that Miyako would be faster. As Aki predicted, Miyako sprouted her wings and took off across the track, getting an even better score than Kaoru. Kimiko didn’t appear to use her Quirk, but made good time regardless. After them stood Daichi Minami, the dusty-haired boy and Chika Matsuoka, the girl with the colorful hair and tail. Daichi stood there with a smug grin and as the timer started, the earth beneath Daichi’s feet began to move. He shot forward on a wall made of earth while Chika ran on all fours. He made quick time, but Chika wasn’t far behind. Some of us can use our Quirks to move faster, but from what I’ve seen not everyone calls me. Aki watched each of her classmates go, trying to figure out how she would use her Quirk to her advantage. Her mind floated back to a year ago when she had just started her final year of junior high. The entirety of Itsumo Academy had sat down to watch the U.A. Sports Festival. Aki had watched one student in particular, Katsuki Bakugo. His Quirk made explosions that he used to propel himself forward, and at the time Aki wondered if she could use the same method. The orbs that she fired from her hands exploded on contact, so she figured that if she could make enough of them at once she could propel herself forward like that. ''I’ve never practiced it before, but this is why we’re doing this right? To learn more about our Quirks? Aki clenched her fist and prepared herself for her round. She was second to last and was paired with Hana. Aki had no clue what Hana’s Quirk was, so she had no idea how this would pan out. She took her position and readied herself. As the timer went off, Aki began firing out orbs of light as fast as she could. Her body propelled forward, but she felt off and had barely any control. Don’t stop! Aki told herself. Push yourself! She fired out the orbs faster and faster until she passed the finish line. She immediately stopped and dropped to the ground, nearly landing directly on her face. “6.6 seconds!” Aki lifted her head. That’s better than middle school! She thought and got back on her feet, brushing dust off her outfit. Hana finished just a few seconds behind Aki. “Not bad.” Hana patted Aki on the back. “That’s a flashy Quirk you’ve got there. Though your balance could use some work.” “That was my first time doing something like that.” Aki said awkwardly. “My landing wasn’t exactly the most graceful.” “Next up is Satomi and Kenshin, then we’re moving on.” Mr. Aizawa announced and they continued with these tests. Next up was a grip strength test and from what Aki could tell, Kenta did the best. Aki didn’t have much grip strength and was rather disappointed with her 50mg. I’m not physically strong. How am I going to pass this? They continued through, moving onto the standing long jump in which Kaoru gave the best jump, Aki used her Quirk again and was able to get far, but still barely made it past the line. In the repeated side step, Aki wasn’t able to show off anything and at last it came to the ball throw. Aki had a plan to use her Quirk for this one as well, but both Hana and the very young looking girl named Takara were before her. “Just to clarify,” Hana said as she stepped into the ring. “I can use my Quirk any way I want?” “That’s what I said, yes.” Hana smirked and Aki noticed something strange. With the short sleeved uniform that Hana was wearing she revealed more tattoos. There was a red and orange dragon on her right arm and a green viper on her left. A shimmering outline appeared on the dragon and Aki watched in shock as the dragon left her skin, circling around Hana. “That’s so cool!” Takara jumped up and down in awe at Hana’s quirk and Aki couldn’t help but agree. The dragon took the ball in its mouth and shot forward, sending the ball flying out of view. It then receded back onto Hana’s skin. I see now why the school allowed her to have tattoos, they’re part of her Quirk. “''516.2 meters!” Hana stepped out of the circle and back beside Satomi and Aki. “Nice Quirk!” Satomi gushed. “That’s pretty cool.” “Thanks.” Hana smiled with a glance at her tattoos. Aki watched Takara approach, curious as to what this girl’s Quirk was. She seemed so young and childish, but she was clearly high school age. Aki noticed that she had a little golden bear necklace. “Here we go!” Takara announced and took the necklace off, tossing it up in the air with sparkles breaking away from it. Aki and the others watched in shock as the golden bear expanded immensely in size, growing to taller than even Hana. He landed beside Takara who looked at her bear with shimmering eyes. “Throw this for me!” Takara tossed the ball to the golden bear, watching it intently as the bear threw the ball with all the strength of a true bear. ''That’s incredible! “''602.9 meters!” Takara jumped out of the ring and her bear went back to normal size. “Wow what a Quirk.” Aki breathed out. “Yeah,” Hana agreed. “She looks young, but she certainly is our age. She’s also the other student who got in via recommendation.” “Really?!” Aki looked at Takara who was talking up more classmates. “That’s incredible. I guess it really goes to show you can’t judge someone based off looks.” “Aki!” Aki jumped as Aizawa yelled her name. ''Right! Forgot I was next! She had been so amazed by Hana and Takara’s Quirks that she forgot. Aki ran into the circle and held the ball that Aizawa handed her. I can do this. Aki told herself, she gripped the ball and despite her lack of physical skill, she braced herself to throw it with all of her might. And at the end..I’ll propel it with my Quirk! Aki took a deep breath. “Just throw the damn ball already.” An annoyed voice spoke aloud, pulling Aki out of her focus. It came from Daichi who looked incredibly irritated. “Quiet.” Aizawa scolded and motioned for Aki to continue. She ignored his words and got back into position. Just do it! She pulled her arm backwards and threw the ball, right before it left her hand she lighted and immediately detonated an orb of light. The ball flew farther than she expected and it nearly knocked her off her feet. “''592.3 meters!” Aki’s eyes widened, shocked at her own power. I didn’t even know I could do that. Aki stepped out of the ring, looking at her hand and feeling happy with herself. “Not bad!” Satomi praised. “Must be nice having a Quirk you can use like that, the best I can do is melt the ball.” Aki smiled at her praise. “Yeah but you actually have some physical strength, I really...don’t.” “You’ll get there, sunshine.” Hana gripped her shoulder. “That’s why we’re here, to be better. Heroes aren’t made overnight.” Aki agreed, Hana was right. Aki would hone her skills and become the best hero she could possibly be! “That’s it then.” Aizawa said and Aki panted heavily, her body starting to ache from all the training. ''It’s finally over. She thought, but her heart couldn’t rest because now cam the results. “I’ve listed you from best to worst, but you should probably have a good idea of your standings already.” Aizawa displayed the results and Aki tensed, immediately her eyes went to the top. The top five students were Kenta, Kaoru, Takara, Daichi and Miyako with Hana and Satomi close behind. Aki searched for her name, and the farther she went down the more scared she got. At long last Aki spotted her name, she was ranked 17th in the class with Naomi, Ayame and Ran falling beneath her. I’m not last but...what if I didn’t meet Aizawa’s expectations? “With that I should probably tell you that none of you are expelled.” Aki almost fainted with relief at Aizawa’s words. “Many of you have Quirks that don’t add to your physical strength, so I need a better judgement. Work harder to get a better score next time, even if you’re at the top you should be bettering yourself constantly. That’s the end of class for today, go back to the dorms.” Aki and the rest of her classmates dragged themselves back to the dorms and Aki felt so incredibly exhausted. If this is what U.A. is going to be like, can I really handle it? Aki questioned herself, she was at the very bottom of the class. She closed her eyes and shook her head. No. I know I can do it, I can be better! Next time I’ll be at the top, I swear it! “That was a pretty crazy first day, wasn’t it.” Hana said, falling in on one side of Aki while Satomi walked on her other side. “Mr. Aizawa seems like a very hard teacher.” “No kidding.” Satomi snorted. “I hope the rest of the year isn’t that stressful.” “It probably will be.” Aki pointed out. “He said that he wants to hone our skills, how can we do that if we aren’t pushed to our absolute limits?” “Fair enough.” Satomi questioned. “Sorry you got placed so low, Aki.” Aki shook her head. “No, it’s fine. It’s my own skill that got me put there. It just means I have a lot more room to grow, and I’m willing to do anything it takes, even if I have to push myself harder than ever before.” “That’s the spirit.” Hana grinned. This is the beginning of my life as a hero in training, it’s not going to be easy. Aki looked from Satomi to Hana. But it looks like I’ve already got some friends rooting for me. I can do this!